Breakfast · 30 min · filipino

Savory Beef Tapa

If you like beef sirloin, you’ll love this Filipino breakfast — 30 minutes from craving to table. Each serving lands at 380 calories with 32g of protein, so it eats like a much heavier meal. Leftovers keep well, so it doubles as next-day lunch without any extra work.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 2 lb Beef sirloin
• 1/2 cup Soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Calamansi juice
• 8 cloves Garlic
• 2 tbsp Brown sugar
• 2 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp Salt
• 3 tbsp Cooking oil

Steps

1. Slice the sirloin as thin as you can against the grain — semi-frozen beef slices almost effortlessly, so 20 minutes in the freezer is worth it.
2. Pound each slice lightly so the marinade penetrates and the meat stays tender instead of chewy.
3. Whisk the soy sauce, calamansi juice, crushed garlic, brown sugar, pepper, and salt; the sugar balances the salt without making it sweet.
4. Coat the beef thoroughly and marinate at least 4 hours, or overnight for the deepest flavor.
5. Sear in a ripping-hot oiled skillet in a single layer, 2 minutes per side — crowding steams the meat gray instead of browning it.
6. Rest 3 minutes so the juices settle, then slice into bite-size strips. Serve over garlic rice with a sunny-side egg and spiced vinegar for dipping.

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